This is a great book for a novice cook, I bought it for myself but now intend to give it to my newly married daughter, I was hoping for a book of traditional british recipes - but this wasn't it, it was great fare - but run of the mill stuff that anyone can prepare without a cook book, I was hoping for regional secret recipies handed down for generations, things I hadn't tried before and this just wasn't it....having said that it does offer good basic every day recipes that everyone has the ingredients for without hassle, that are really easy to put together.